Indian Ambassador P Kumaran presenting a plaque of appreciation to Qatar-based singer Ahmed Abdulrahim.
DOHA: The Embassy of India in association with the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), organised Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2019 on January 9 at the Indian Cultural Centre premises.
A promotional video on PBD and another video on participation of Indian Diaspora during the last PBD were screened. The meeting was attended by over 300 members from the Indian community, including previous years PBD delegates from Qatar, community leaders and members of various affiliated organisations.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
(Non-Resident Indians’ Day) is a day celebrated each year on January 9 by India to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915.
The event started with the lighting of the lamp by Ambassador P Kumaran, along with ICC Acting President and Presidents of other apex Indian community bodies under the aegis of the Embassy of India. Acting ICC President A P Manikantan welcomed the gathering.
The Ambassador, who was the Chief Guest at the event, reiterated the importance and historical relevance of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. He encouraged the Indian community in Qatar to take active part in PBD 2019 planned from January 21-23, 2019 at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
During the event, a video clipping of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite song ‘Vaishnav Jan Te’ rendered by a Qatar-based singer Ahmed Abdulrahim was also shown. Ambassador P Kumaran presented the singer with a plaque of appreciation. The rendition of the bhajan is a part of ongoing celebrations to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The winners of the 1st round of Bharat ko Janiye Quiz from Qatar were felicitated with medals by the Ambassador. Rohit Birla won the Gold Medal, Marilyn Rego (Class 10 student of DPS) won the Silver Medal and Princy Joseph Solomon the Bronze Medal.
This Quiz Contest was recently held online by the Ministry of External Affairs of India. The aim of the Quiz Contest was to motivate overseas Indian youth to develop interest in knowing and understanding India. During the PBD celebrations, a promotional video of ‘India-Qatar Year of Culture 2019’ was also launched. This will be uploaded to the Embassy’s social media handles in the next few days.
